In the late 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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