During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we grabbed food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I shared that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student came up to 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 showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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