During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Because my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at Columbia University. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” 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 used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-belief to contact anyone at an elite institution and request employment. And, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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