In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Because my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that evening. 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. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to reach out at an prestigious college and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that job in New York resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
Whether it's cheering you up to changing your life, we are interested in chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
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