In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in multiple respects. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
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