In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Because my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a big 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his full name, but his selfless gesture 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 seek a position. And, 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 role in Europe where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
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