During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my friend was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. 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. Since he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Critically, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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