In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Because my friend was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted 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 consider applying for a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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