During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately explained to my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance 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 multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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