One day an Iraqi engineering student at Columbia University met a young woman in a canteen who had stopped off in New York City with friends on her way to Europe. While casually chatting, she shared that she had just graduated with a science degree, and had done research using an electron microscope. The Iraqi student said there was such a microscope unit at Columbia University, and she could apply for a job. She laughed, telling him she was leaving for Europe, and didn’t have a US visa. The next day, she returned to the canteen where she learned the student had arranged an interview for her. Skeptical, she went to the interview. The university helped her get a visa; she worked there for three years, received free tuition, and completed a master’s program. As for the Iraqi student, “I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in so many ways.”
