During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Since my companion was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering 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. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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