In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Since my friend was considering pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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