During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a big 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I consider applying for a position with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a place where everything seems achievable – she said: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that role at the university led me to a job in Zurich 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 redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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