During the late 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Since my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had planned a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off explained to my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
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