During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Since my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the canteen, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
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