During the late 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Since my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off 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 opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his full name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich 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 helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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