During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an research lab at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I consider applying for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The engineering student walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but right away informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a city where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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