During the late 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the institution – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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