In the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Since my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there en route to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Critically, that role at the university paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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