During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Because my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
What is the Nicest Thing a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?
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