In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Since my companion was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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