In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I consider applying for a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The engineering student walked over to me and informed me 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 attended the interview – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that role at the university led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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