During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Since my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
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