In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Since my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I didn't possess the bravery or nerve to approach someone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
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