During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the confidence or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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