In the late 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I consider applying for a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The engineering student approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I lacked the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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