During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had arranged a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I consider applying for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in multiple respects. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising 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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