During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that night. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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