During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Since my travel mate was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
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