In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Since my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the UWS called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student walked over 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 taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately told my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know 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 always appreciative.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
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