In the late 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Because my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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