During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Since my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an research lab at the university – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I lacked the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a role in Europe where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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