During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Since my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I consider applying for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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