In the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Since my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a place where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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