During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Since my travel mate was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, 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 electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that night. The man from Iraq approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where everything seems achievable – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed 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 resulted in a role in Europe where I encountered 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 eternally thankful.
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