During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a large multi-story edifice on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – right next door to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that night. The man from Iraq approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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