In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Since my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
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