In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The engineering 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 taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately told 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 anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the bravery or nerve to contact anyone at an elite institution and request employment. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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