In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Because my travel mate was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student walked over to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?
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