During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Because my friend was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the UWS called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – close to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in multiple respects. I lacked the bravery or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person 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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