In the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Since my travel mate was exploring starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned 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 called International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – 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. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. And, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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