In the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Because my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We can make that happen. 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 no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or self-belief to approach someone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a role in Europe where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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