In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the UWS known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
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