During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Since my companion was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I consider applying for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but straight off informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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