During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Because my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there en route to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the courage or self-belief to reach out at an prestigious college and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that job in New York resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual redirected my path 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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