In the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Since my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had arranged a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the bravery or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and request employment. And, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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