During the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Since my friend was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained 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 Columbia University – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a city where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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From making your day to altering your path, we are interested in chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
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