During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me 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 microscopy facility at the institution – close to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told 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 unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for three years. One of the benefits was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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