In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Since my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an research lab at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Tell us about the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
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