During the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a big 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 grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” 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 finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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