From Hidden Brain Media, I'm Shankar Vedantam.

This is My Unsung Hero, stories where one person reached out to help another in a time of need.

I would like to thank my unsung hero.

I do not know her name.

And all of a sudden I look up and this hand slides two warm chocolate chip cookies across the desk.

To this day, it was one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me.

Today's story comes from Anna Maria Kuenka.

In the 1990s, Anna Maria's father drove a taxi in Miami.

Every so often, he would get a call from a businessman who needed a personal driver during work trips. The man always asked about Anna Maria, and at the end of each ride, he would give her father some extra cash, meant for her. On one particular trip, her father mentioned that Anna Maria was now in her first year of college. When the ride ended, the man took out his wallet. Usually, he pulled out a 20. But this time,

he pulled out a $50 bill, and he said, I'd like you to give it to your daughter so that she can buy herself something

really nice.

And so when I received the $50, I was in the process of applying as a transfer student

to Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.

It was a school that I had wanted to go to since I was in high school.

And at that point, I actually needed the $50 for the application fee.

And, you know, it was like $50 was a lot of money for a college student back in 1997.

And unfortunately, at that point, my parents really couldn't give me a lot of money.

You know, they were both pretty working class.

And I was, you know, surviving with like savings from a summer job.

So, you know, it was really not a good time financially.

So the $50 came perfectly.

And I submitted my application and I got in as a transfer student.

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