During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Since my companion was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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