In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the UWS called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The Iraqi student approached me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but right away told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a city where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” 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 free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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