In the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Since my friend was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his full name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
From brightening your mood to transforming your future, we are interested in random meetings that have stuck with you.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are 18 or over, without revealing your identity if you prefer. Your responses are protected, and are solely for the purpose of this feature.
