During the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Since my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over 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 made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately told my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the courage or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, 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 four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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