During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the UWS named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I consider applying for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Critically, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
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