During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Since my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I my profession was, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The engineering student walked over to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a city where everything seems achievable – she responded: “That can be arranged. 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 complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered 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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