During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Because my friend was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
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