The Kindness of Strangers: How a Man I Had Just Met Supported Me Obtain the Role That Transformed My Existence

In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my friend was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.

We got to the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the UWS known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to other diners.

Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.

He noted that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.

The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately explained to my host that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.

I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a master’s of international affairs.

I never saw that student again and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.

Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.

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