During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Since my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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