In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. 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 electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student came up 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 gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – 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 was employed 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 postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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