In the late 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Since my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – close to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The Iraqi student approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but right away informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a city where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Tell us about the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Shown for You?
From cheering you up to changing your life, we are interested in random meetings that have remained in your memory.
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