During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the canteen, where we got some food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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