During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my companion was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to approach someone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
From brightening your mood to altering your path, we want to hear about random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, keeping your details private if you choose. The stories you tell are confidential, and are intended for the goal of sharing inspiring stories.
