During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I consider applying for a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off told my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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