During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Since my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share 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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