During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Since my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had planned a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the UWS known as International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a place where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to reach out 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 position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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