In 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 interested in enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a large multi-story edifice on the UWS known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He mentioned 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 should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The engineering student walked over to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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