In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting 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 interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a place where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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