During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my friend was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know 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 went to the meeting – but right away explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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