During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Since my friend was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education 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 selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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