During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Since my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the canteen, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying for a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane 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.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich 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 benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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