In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Because my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. 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 working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – right next door to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my prospective employer 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'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or nerve to approach someone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a role in Europe where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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