During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my companion was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had arranged a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where opportunities abound – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture 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 request employment. And, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Critically, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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