In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told 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 showed up for the discussion – but immediately 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 place where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I lacked the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
What's more, 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 changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Shown for You?
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