During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Since my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I consider applying for a job 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 after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position 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 can't recall his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Critically, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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