In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis 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. An advantage of the role was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York 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 benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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