In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Since my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and informed 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 went to the meeting – but straight off told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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