In the late 1980s, a chance encounter at a postgraduate residence in New York set in motion a chain of events that would change one woman's life forever. While backpacking through Europe with a friend, she stopped in New York and met an Iraqi engineering student at Columbia University who would become a pivotal figure in her story.
During a meal at International House, the stranger learned about her background in science and her experience with electron microscopes at CSIRO. He suggested she apply for a job at Columbia's electron microscope unit. Despite her protests that she lacked a US visa and was about to fly to Europe, he arranged an interview for her the next day.
Reluctantly attending the interview, she immediately informed the interviewer of her visa situation. To her surprise, the interviewer responded, 'We can make that happen. When can you start?' She never boarded the flight to London and worked at Columbia for three years, receiving free tuition that enabled her to complete a master's degree in international affairs.
The woman never saw the Iraqi student again and does not know his name, but his kindness had far-reaching effects. The job at Columbia led to a position in Zurich, where she met her French husband. They now have four children. She reflects on the encounter as a 'sliding doors moment' that set her on a different life course.
