During the late 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off informed my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?
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