In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The man from Iraq walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Critically, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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