In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the canteen, where we grabbed food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes 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 identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to approach someone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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