In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Because my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the UWS called International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the canteen, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an research lab at the university – close to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I consider applying for a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I didn't possess the bravery or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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