During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
Whether it's cheering you up to altering your path, we want to hear about random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, anonymously if you wish. The stories you tell are confidential, and are solely for the aim of this article.
