During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Since my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away told my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
Whether it's cheering you up to transforming your future, we are interested in random meetings that have remained in your memory.
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