During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the canteen, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi student walked over to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away told my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that role at the university led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
From making your day to changing your life, we would love to know random meetings that have remained in your memory.
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