During the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Since my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I didn't possess the bravery or nerve to approach someone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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