During the late 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my friend was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a city where everything seems achievable – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Critically, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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