In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I consider applying for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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