During the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Since my travel mate was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I ought to seek a position with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The engineering student came up to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his full name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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