In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Because my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me 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 showed up for the discussion – but straight off explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
Whether it's making your day to altering your path, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have stuck with you.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are of legal age, without revealing your identity if you wish. The stories you tell are protected, and are intended for the purpose of this feature.
