In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Since my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately told my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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