In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Because my friend was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where opportunities abound – she responded: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” 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 was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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