During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He inquired what I my profession was, and I shared that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an prestigious college and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, 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 forever grateful.
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