In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Since my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student came up 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 immediately informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. 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.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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