During the late 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Because my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that night. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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