In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my friend was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The engineering student came up to 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 showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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