During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Since my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had arranged a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student walked over to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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