During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining 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 after dark. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately informed 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 anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish 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 numerous aspects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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