During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Since my friend was considering pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall 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 director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the bravery or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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