In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had arranged a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – close to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his full name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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