During the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Because my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I consider applying for a position with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. And, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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