"The Iraqi student walked up to me and told me he'd arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he'd gone to the trouble of setting it up, I went to the interview but straight away told my interviewer that I didn't have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time. In typical New York fashion a city where anything feels possible she said: We can make that happen. When can you start?"
"I never got on that flight to London. I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master's of international affairs. I never saw that student again and I don't even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in so many ways."
In the late 1980s a traveler on a backpacking trip stayed two weeks in New York at International House before flying to London. A Columbia engineering student overheard a conversation about electron microscopy and arranged an interview with the head of Columbia's electron microscope unit. Visa concerns were raised but the hiring manager responded that the visa could be arranged and offered work immediately. The traveler accepted, worked at Columbia for three years, received free tuition, and completed a master's of international affairs. The assisting student's identity remained unknown, and a single act of kindness transformed the traveler's career and educational path.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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