In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Since my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the canteen, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away informed my host that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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