During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Because my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a big 10-storey building on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but right away informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a place where everything seems achievable – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
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 would never have had the courage or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and request employment. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Tell us about the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
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