During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Since my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq approached me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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