During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Since my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the canteen, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, 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 walked over to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a role in Europe where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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