During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He inquired what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away informed my host that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that role at the university resulted in a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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