During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was exploring starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence 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 lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Critically, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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