During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large multi-story edifice on the UWS known as International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi student approached me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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