During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my friend was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I my profession was, 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 electron microscope unit at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I consider applying for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. 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. Since he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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