During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Since my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The engineering student walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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