During the late 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Since my friend was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had arranged a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away told my host that I didn’t have a visa, 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 held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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