During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Since my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I my profession was, and I shared that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
From cheering you up to transforming your future, we are interested in random meetings that have remained in your memory.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are 18 or over, keeping your details private if you prefer. The stories you tell are secure, and are intended for the aim of this article.
