During the late 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, 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, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but right away informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that gig at Columbia resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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