In the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Since my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. 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 lost touch with him and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Critically, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?
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