During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my friend was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but straight off informed my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a place where opportunities abound – she declared: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that role at the university paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?
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