In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Since my friend was considering pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I would never have had the courage or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
What's more, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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