In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Since my travel mate was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the UWS known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I consider applying for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an elite institution and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that gig at Columbia resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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