In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He asked me what I my profession was, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I ought to seek 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 following day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away informed my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, 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 position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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