During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had planned a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger 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?
Whether it's brightening your mood to changing your life, we would love to know unexpected interactions that have stuck with you.
We invite you to tell us if you are 18 or over, without revealing your identity if you prefer. The stories you tell are confidential, and are intended for the aim of this article.
