The Generosity of Unknown Individuals: The Way a Man I Had Just Met Supported Me Land the Job That Transformed My Existence

In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.

We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.

Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.

He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.

The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student approached me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.

I worked there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.

I lost touch with him and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I lacked the bravery or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.

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 kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

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