During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Since my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the canteen, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I consider applying for a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The engineering student came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off told my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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