During the late 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did, 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 the university – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Critically, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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