During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Because my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the UWS named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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