In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a city where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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