In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Since my companion was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – 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 everything seems achievable – she declared: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, 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.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
Whether it's cheering you up to transforming your future, we are interested in random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
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