During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called 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 gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student approached me and told 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 showed up for the discussion – but immediately explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” 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 postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I didn't possess the bravery or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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