During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Since my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a city where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that role at the university resulted in a role in Europe where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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