During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Since my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a two-week stay there en route to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and began chatting with other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted 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 recommended that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I lacked the bravery or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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