In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Since my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had always wanted to study abroad, 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 wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
From cheering you up to transforming your future, we would love to know chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
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