In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Because my friend was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview 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 explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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