In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Since my friend was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the UWS named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.
Sitting next to me 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 shared that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I consider applying for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but right away informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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