During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Because my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a large multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I consider applying for a role with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team 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.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that role at the university paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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