During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Since my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my wonderful partner, 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 forever grateful.
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