During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had planned a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a role in Europe where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
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