During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but straight off informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Critically, that gig at Columbia resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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