During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Because my companion was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He inquired what I my profession was, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an research lab at the university – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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