In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but straight off explained to my interviewer that I didn’t have a 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. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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