During the late 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, 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. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but right away told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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