In the late 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Because my travel mate was exploring starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned 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 suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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