During the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Because my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately explained to my host that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a place where opportunities abound – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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