During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Since my friend was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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