During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Since my companion was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The engineering student approached me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Critically, 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. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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