In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his identity, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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