In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Since my companion was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to 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 shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a city where opportunities abound – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded 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. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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