During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Because my companion was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but right away informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an Ivy League university and request employment. 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 resulted in a role in Europe where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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