In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I consider applying for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a city where opportunities abound – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my wonderful partner, 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 eternally thankful.
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