During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Because my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Shown for You?
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