In the late 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Because my companion was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” 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 no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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