During the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted 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 can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. And, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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