During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Since my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – close to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. 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 gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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