During the late 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I my profession was, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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