During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Since my friend was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I consider applying for a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. 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. Because he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but right away informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
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