During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with people eating there.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in numerous aspects. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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