In the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Since my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” 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 free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a role in Europe where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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