During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Because my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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