During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Because my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He inquired what I my profession was, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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