In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Because my travel mate was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
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