During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the bravery or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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