In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Since my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the canteen, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I my profession was, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but right away told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Critically, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?
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