During the late 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I explained that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria 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. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my host that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a role in Europe where I met 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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