During the late 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a sizeable 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, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I my profession was, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door 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, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a city where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share 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 forever grateful.
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