In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Since my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student came up 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 went to the meeting – but straight off informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the bravery or nerve to approach someone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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