In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was exploring starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS called International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to other diners.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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