In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Since my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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