In the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Since my travel mate was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying for a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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