During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the UWS called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The man from Iraq 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. Since he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but right away told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I lacked the bravery or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Nicest Thing a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
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