In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
From cheering you up to altering your path, we want to hear about unexpected interactions that have remained in your memory.
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