During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but right away informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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