During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the university – close to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete 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 so many ways. I lacked the bravery or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that role at the university paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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