During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Because my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit 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 position with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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