During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Since my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I consider applying for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but right away informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, 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 four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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