During the late 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Since my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, sat down, and began chatting with other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I consider applying for a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
From cheering you up to transforming your future, we would love to know unexpected interactions that have left a lasting impression.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, without revealing your identity if you choose. The stories you tell are confidential, and are intended for the purpose of this feature.
