In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Since my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but right away informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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