In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Since my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I consider applying for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to approach someone at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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