In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. 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 microscopy facility at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student approached me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but immediately explained to my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she said: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the bravery or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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