In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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