During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Because my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student came up to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away explained to my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a city where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted 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 got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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