In the late 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student approached me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a place where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that role at the university paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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