In the late 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Because my companion was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately explained to my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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