In the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Because my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door 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 chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft 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 complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or self-belief to reach out at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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