In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Because my friend was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to other diners.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I consider applying for a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. 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 Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
From making your day to changing your life, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have remained in your memory.
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