In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Since my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man 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 science degree and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to changing your life, we want to hear about chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are 18 or over, keeping your details private if you wish. The stories you tell are secure, and are solely for the purpose of this feature.
