During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Since my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
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