In the late 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Since my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a place where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia resulted in a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Tell us about the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to changing your life, we would love to know chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.
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