During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Because my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that night. The engineering student came up to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received 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 am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
What's more, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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