In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the UWS known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – close to the engineering faculty, 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 about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she responded: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I lacked the courage or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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