In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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