In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq walked over to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a place where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or nerve to approach someone at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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