During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student came up to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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