During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my friend was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Critically, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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