In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He inquired what I did, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, 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 everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I didn't possess the bravery or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share 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 eternally thankful.
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