During the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Since my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and began chatting with other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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