In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi student approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in multiple respects. I didn't possess the bravery or nerve to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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