In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Since my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with other diners.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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