In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a large 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a job with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in multiple respects. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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