During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there en route to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the UWS known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He inquired what I my profession was, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but right away informed my interviewer 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 declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. One of the benefits was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a role in Europe where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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