In the late 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my friend was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but right away told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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