In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a big 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. 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.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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