During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Because my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Critically, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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