In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Because my friend was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at Columbia University. He inquired what I my profession was, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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