During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Because my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He asked me what I my profession was, and I shared that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, 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 director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Critically, that role at the university led me to a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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