During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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