During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Since my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He inquired what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student walked over to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means 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 beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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