In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Because my friend was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I consider applying for a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi 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. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that role at the university 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 kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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