In the late 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Because my friend was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I consider applying for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The Iraqi 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. Because he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a city where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Shown for You?
From brightening your mood to changing your life, we are interested in chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
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