In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Because my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that role at the university led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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