In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I my profession was, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student approached me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away informed my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or self-assurance to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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