During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Because my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the UWS known as International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she responded: “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 also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full 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. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
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