In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the UWS called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that night. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the bravery or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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