In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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