In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Since my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. 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. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – 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 complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an Ivy League university and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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