In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Because my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – close to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a role 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, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The engineering student came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Tell us about the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
From brightening your mood to changing your life, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have stuck with you.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are of legal age, without revealing your identity if you choose. Your responses are confidential, and are solely for the aim of this article.
