In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Since my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I consider applying for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told 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 anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the courage or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that job in New York resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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