During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Since my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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