During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in multiple respects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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