In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the canteen, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and let me know 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 went to the meeting – but straight off told my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
From cheering you up to changing your life, we are interested in random meetings that have remained in your memory.
We invite you to tell us if you are 18 or over, anonymously if you wish. What you share are protected, and are intended for the purpose of this feature.
