In the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He inquired what I did, and I told him 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 university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq approached me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a role in Europe where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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