In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with other diners.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that night. The man from Iraq approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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