During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Since my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his identity, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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