In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had planned a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student came up to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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