During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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