During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Since my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the canteen, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to contact anyone 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.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich 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 helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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