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In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there on the way 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 headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with other diners.

Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.

He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.

The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.

I worked there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.

We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.

Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.

Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?

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