In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Since my companion was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I lacked the courage 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 educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person 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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