In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Because my friend was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The Iraqi student approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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