In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Since my friend was interested in 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 graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and began chatting with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but right away informed 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 anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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