In the late 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my friend was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the bravery or nerve to approach someone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Critically, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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