During the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Since my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the UWS called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The man from Iraq approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my host that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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