In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Since my friend was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there before heading 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 cafeteria, where we picked up meals, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that role at the university led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
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