During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Since my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I consider applying for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that role at the university paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
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