During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Because my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with other diners.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program 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 degree in science and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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