In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, sat down, 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 did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in multiple respects. I didn't possess the bravery or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my wonderful partner, 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 eternally thankful.
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