During the late 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student 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 explained to my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-belief to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
What's more, that role at the university led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. 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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