During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out 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 New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. 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 also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the courage or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that job in New York resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
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