During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Since my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – right next door to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student walked over to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a place where everything seems achievable – she responded: “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 got no-cost classes 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 incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or self-belief to approach someone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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