During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Because my friend was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off 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 Iraqi student came up to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away told my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?
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