In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a two-week stay there en route to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a city where opportunities abound – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his full name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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