During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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