In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student walked over to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a city where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person 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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