During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my companion was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the UWS called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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