During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Because my friend was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large 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, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – right next door to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a city where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual 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 Ever Done for You?
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