In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Because my friend was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I consider applying for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student approached me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got 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 can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
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