In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Since my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the institution – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I consider applying for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university 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 redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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