In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Since my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, 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. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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