During the late 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Since my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me 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 explained to my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she said: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that role at the university led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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