In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested 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.
A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but right away told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York resulted in a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. 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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