The Compassion of People We Don't Know: How a Gentleman I Had Just Met Helped Me Obtain the Job That Altered My Path
During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. 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 showed up for the discussion – but straight off informed my host that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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