In the late 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I consider applying for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi 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 taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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