In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the canteen, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – right next door to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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