During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person 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?
From making your day to altering your path, we want to hear about unexpected interactions that have stuck with you.
Please share your story if you are an adult, without revealing your identity if you prefer. What you share are confidential, and are intended for the aim of this article.
