In the late 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Because my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He inquired what I my profession was, 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 electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I consider applying for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a city where opportunities abound – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an prestigious college and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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