In the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my friend was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student walked over to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that role at the university led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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