In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my friend was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Critically, that role at the university paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
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