The Generosity of Strangers: How a Man I Barely Knew Assisted Me Obtain the Job That Changed My Life

In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.

We got to the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.

Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.

He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.

A day later I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.

I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a postgrad program in international relations.

We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.

Critically, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

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