In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and began chatting with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I should apply for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The engineering student walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a role in Europe where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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