In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but straight off explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that role at the university led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my beautiful French husband, 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 eternally thankful.
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