During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview 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 told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane 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 took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to reach out 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.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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