In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I explained that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where opportunities abound – she said: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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