In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Because my companion was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that role at the university led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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