In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately 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 metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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