In the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Since my friend was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to 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 went to the meeting – but straight off explained to my host that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Critically, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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