During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had planned a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He wanted to know 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 involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student approached me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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