In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Since my travel mate was exploring starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I my profession was, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to 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 helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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