In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Because my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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