During the late 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the UWS called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the canteen, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an prestigious college and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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