During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He inquired what I did, and I shared 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 research lab at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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