In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
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 am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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