During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Since my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested 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, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a city where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or nerve to approach someone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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