In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Since my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an elite institution and request employment. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Critically, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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