In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Because my friend was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there en route to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The engineering student approached me and let me know 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 showed up for the discussion – but right away explained to my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a city where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and request employment. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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