In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the canteen, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had organized a discussion 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 right away explained to my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for three years. One of the benefits was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in numerous aspects. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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