In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I consider applying for a job with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and seek a position. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?
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