During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the canteen, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a place where everything seems achievable – she responded: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and request employment. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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