During the late 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Since my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the canteen, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi student walked over to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for three years. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
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