In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off explained to my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I lacked the confidence or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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