During the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Since my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a large 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at Columbia University. He inquired what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but right away explained to my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. And, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
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