In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Since my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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