During the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
What's more, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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