During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Since my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, 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 UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in multiple respects. I would never have had the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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