In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Because my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – close to the school of engineering, 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 soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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