During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Since my friend was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the canteen, where we grabbed food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended 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.
The next day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that job in New York resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
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