During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion 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 immediately explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a city where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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