In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Because my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing 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 told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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