In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Because my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I consider applying for a job with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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