In the late 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the UWS called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a place where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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