During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
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