In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Since my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a big 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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