During the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I my profession was, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that job in New York resulted in a position in Switzerland where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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