In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Since my friend was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or self-belief to approach someone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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