During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had arranged a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I consider applying for a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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