During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Because my friend was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a city where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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