During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Because my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I consider applying for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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