In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Since my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she declared: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I lacked the bravery or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that role at the university led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
Whether it's making your day to changing your life, we want to hear about random meetings that have stuck with you.
Please share your story if you are of legal age, without revealing your identity if you wish. The stories you tell are confidential, and are solely for the goal of sharing inspiring stories.
