In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Since my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that role at the university resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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