During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I should apply for a job 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.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The engineering student approached me and told 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 straight off explained to my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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