In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my companion was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – close to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my host that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?
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