During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Since my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
Whether it's cheering you up to changing your life, we want to hear about unexpected interactions that have remained in your memory.
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