During the late 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He inquired what I my profession was, and I explained that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the bravery or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger 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 Shown for You?
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