In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The Iraqi student approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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