During the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that night. The engineering student came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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