In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Since my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the UWS called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” 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 no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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