During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Because my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his full name, but his incredible act of kindness 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. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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