During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a large 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my host that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a role in Europe where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?
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