During the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. 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. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, 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 held that position for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?
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