In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The engineering student walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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