During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my companion was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
Whether it's cheering you up to altering your path, we are interested in random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
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