During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for three 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.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the bravery or self-belief to approach someone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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