In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the canteen, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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