During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Since my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I consider applying for a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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