During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Since my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He noted 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 suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student walked over to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but immediately explained to my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in multiple respects. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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