In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Since my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or nerve to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to transforming your future, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have stuck with you.
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