In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Since my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the UWS known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria 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. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the bravery or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Critically, that role at the university paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. 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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