In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she said: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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