In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but right away 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 anything feels possible – she said: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or nerve to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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