In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had planned a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student walked over to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a city where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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