During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I consider applying for a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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