During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Since my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I shared that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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