During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Since my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin 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 recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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