During the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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