During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my friend was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the canteen, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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