During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my friend was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
From making your day to changing your life, we want to hear about random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are of legal age, without revealing your identity if you wish. The stories you tell are secure, and will only be used the aim of this article.
