In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Since my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The Iraqi student walked over to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where everything seems achievable – she said: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. One of the benefits was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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