In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Since my travel mate was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had arranged a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the canteen, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student approached me and informed 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 went to the meeting – but straight off explained to my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to approach someone at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
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