In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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