In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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