In the late 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Since my friend was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off explained to my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she said: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. And, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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