In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Because my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for three years. One of the benefits was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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