During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Because my friend was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree 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 performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, 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 engineering student came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off explained to my host that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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