During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Since my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I my profession was, and I explained that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that night. The man from Iraq approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away told my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means 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. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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