In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Since my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I consider applying for a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away explained to my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I lacked the bravery or nerve to contact anyone at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
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