During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Since my travel mate was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had arranged a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an prestigious college and request employment. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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