During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Because my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The engineering student came up to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, 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 a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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