In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a role with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, 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 always appreciative.
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