During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that night. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me 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 immediately informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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