In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Since my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – close 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 dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The engineering student walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, 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 always appreciative.
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