In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained 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 school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a city where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We'll handle it. 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 also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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