During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Since my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his full name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that role at the university led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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