During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Because my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the UWS called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen 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. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – 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. A perk of the job was that I was granted 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 am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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