In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I my profession was, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student came up 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 taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or self-belief to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
What's more, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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