During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, and began chatting with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a city where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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