During the late 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my companion was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had planned a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that night. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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