During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Because my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I consider applying for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising 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 eternally thankful.
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