During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Because my friend was considering pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
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