In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Because my friend was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I my profession was, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in so many ways. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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