In the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I consider applying for a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. And, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Critically, that gig at Columbia resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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