In the late 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to approach someone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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