During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately explained to my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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