During the late 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Since my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door 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, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately explained to my host that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. 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 Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
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