In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my friend was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the UWS known as International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we got some food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall 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 Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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