In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Since my friend was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
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 did for a living, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role 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.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I lacked the bravery or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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