In the late 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student walked over to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she said: “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. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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