During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the institution – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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