During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had arranged a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He inquired what I my profession was, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the bravery or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and request employment. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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