During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my friend was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He inquired what I my profession was, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and request employment. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
Whether it's cheering you up to transforming your future, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have stuck with you.
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