In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Since my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The engineering student walked over to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but right away informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a city where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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