During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and began chatting with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-assurance to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
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