In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Since my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq 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 newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and told 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 attended the interview – but straight off explained to my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
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 wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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