During the late 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Since my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but right away informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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