In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Since my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq approached 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 showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the courage or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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