During the late 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or self-belief to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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