During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Since my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the UWS called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – 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 laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – 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 everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to contact anyone at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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