In the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Because my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a place where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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