During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there en route to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and informed 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 went to the meeting – but immediately informed my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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