In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Since my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia 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 working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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