In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Since my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a role with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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