During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Since my travel mate was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told 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 showed up for the discussion – but straight off informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a place where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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