In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Since my travel mate was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached 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 cafeteria, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He inquired what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student approached me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. 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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