During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student walked over to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately informed my host that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
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