During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Because my companion was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for three years. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or self-belief to contact anyone at an elite institution and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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