In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – 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, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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