An Compassion of People We Don't Know: How a Person I Barely Knew Assisted Me Obtain the Role That Transformed My Existence

During the late 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Because my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.

We got to the graduate housing, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.

Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.

He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.

The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.

In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.

I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.

I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.

Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.

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