In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I my profession was, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the bravery or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
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