In the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure 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 en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped 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 role in Europe where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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