During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis 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 held that position for three years. One of the benefits was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in 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 kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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