During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door 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 about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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