During the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Because my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but right away informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his full name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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