During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – close to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received 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 don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to approach someone at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that role at the university resulted in a role in Europe where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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