In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Since my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The man from Iraq approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away explained to my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university 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.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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