During the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Since my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me 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 attended the interview – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and request employment. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising 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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