During the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Because my friend was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but immediately explained to my host that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” 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 took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a role in Europe where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four amazing children. 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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