In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Since my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I my profession was, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall 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 ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that job in New York resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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