During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Because my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to approach someone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia resulted in a job in Zurich where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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