In the late 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an research lab 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 job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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