In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Since my friend was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was about to fly 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 came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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