In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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