During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Since my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that night. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a city where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete 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 changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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