During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we grabbed food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – close to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Critically, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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