During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where everything seems achievable – she said: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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