In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I my profession was, and I explained that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I consider applying for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a city where opportunities abound – she responded: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an prestigious college and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising 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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