In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had planned a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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