In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a large 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I my profession was, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for 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 next day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my host 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. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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