In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Because my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a place where everything seems achievable – 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 free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
Whether it's making your day to changing your life, we are interested in chance encounters that have stuck with you.
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