In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I consider applying for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, 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 now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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