In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Since my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, sat down, and began chatting with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining 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, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off told my host 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 declared: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I lacked the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that role at the university led me to a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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