The Kindness of Unknown Individuals: How a Gentleman I Only Just Encountered Helped Me Secure the Job That Changed My Life

During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Because my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.

We arrived at the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and began chatting with other diners.

Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.

He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.

The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student came up to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.

In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.

I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.

We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.

Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.

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