During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Because my friend was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I consider applying for a role with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away told my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where opportunities abound – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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