In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Since my companion was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large 10-storey building on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
What's more, that role at the university led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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