During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Since my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to other diners.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq approached me and informed 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 attended the interview – but right away explained to my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that role at the university paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
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