During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Since my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we got some food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Critically, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
From cheering you up to altering your path, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have remained in your memory.
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