In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was exploring starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure 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 began chatting with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him 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 evening. The Iraqi student approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
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