During the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off explained to my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I lacked the bravery or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. 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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