During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and request employment. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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