During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a city where opportunities abound – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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