The Kindness of People We Don't Know: The Way a Person I Only Just Encountered Supported Me Land the Position That Altered My Path

In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Since my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.

We got to the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS known as International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.

Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did, and I told him 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 microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.

The next day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi student approached me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately explained to my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.

As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.

I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.

We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.

Critically, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

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