During the late 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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