In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Since my friend was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with people eating there.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired 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 the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for three years. One of the benefits was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and request employment. And, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
What's more, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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