In the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I should apply for a role with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away informed my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, 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. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?
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