During the late 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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