In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I consider applying for a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting 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 told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or self-belief to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have 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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