During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and let me know 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 attended the interview – but straight off told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Critically, that role at the university paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising 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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