During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Because my companion was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I consider applying for a job with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that night. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered 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.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?
Whether it's making your day to changing your life, we are interested in chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
Please share your story if you are 18 or over, keeping your details private if you choose. Your responses are confidential, and are intended for the aim of this article.
