During the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Because my friend was exploring starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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