In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Because my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an research lab at the university – close to the engineering faculty, 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 about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The engineering student walked over to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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