During the late 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the UWS named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that night. The man from Iraq approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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