In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Since my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an research lab at the university – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion 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 informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
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