In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Since my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired 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 – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The engineering student came up to 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 gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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