During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Because my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had planned a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to reach out at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
What is the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
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