In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the UWS called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting 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 informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or self-assurance to approach someone at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that role at the university led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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