During the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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