During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?
From brightening your mood to altering your path, we would love to know random meetings that have stuck with you.
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