During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Since my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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