In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was exploring starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a position in Switzerland where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to transforming your future, we want to hear about chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, without revealing your identity if you choose. The stories you tell are protected, and are solely for the purpose of this feature.
