During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student walked over to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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