During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Because my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student walked over to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, 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 job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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