During the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the UWS called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student walked over to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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