During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Because my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft 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 graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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