During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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