In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
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