During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Since my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately explained to my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have 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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