In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, 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 microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I consider applying for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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