During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The engineering student came up to me and informed 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 showed up for the discussion – but straight off informed my prospective employer 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 responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I didn't possess the bravery or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that role at the university paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?
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