In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the canteen, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
Whether it's making your day to changing your life, we would love to know unexpected interactions that have left a lasting impression.
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