During the late 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – close 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 laughed it off, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Critically, that role at the university led me to a role in Europe where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
What is the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
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