In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Because my friend was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately explained to my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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