In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Since my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place 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. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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