An Generosity of People We Don't Know: The Way a Gentleman I Barely Knew Assisted Me Land the Position That Changed My Life

During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Since my companion was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.

We reached the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.

Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.

He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.

The next day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.

I worked there for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted 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 remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.

Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.

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