In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with other diners.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The Iraqi student walked over to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but straight off explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia resulted in a job in Zurich where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
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