In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Because my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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