In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off told my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
Whether it's making your day to altering your path, we are interested in chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.
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