During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Because my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for three years. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or nerve to approach someone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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