In the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Since my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I consider applying for a role with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall 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. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away explained to 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 opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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