In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, and began chatting with people eating there.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that role at the university paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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