In the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Since my travel mate was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but straight off explained to my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the bravery or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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