In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my host that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or nerve to approach someone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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