During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?
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