In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Because my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and request employment. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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