In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He inquired what I my profession was, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the bravery or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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