During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia 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 noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
From brightening your mood to altering your path, we want to hear about unexpected interactions that have left a lasting impression.
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