In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a city where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for three years. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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