In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Because my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the UWS named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but right away told my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?
From brightening your mood to changing your life, we want to hear about chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.
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