In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Because my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I consider applying for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and request employment. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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