In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I my profession was, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in multiple respects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Critically, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
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