In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Because my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS called International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that night. The engineering student walked over to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a place where everything seems achievable – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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