During the late 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Since my companion was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the UWS known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared 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 the institution – right next door to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student approached me and let me know 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 attended the interview – but straight off informed my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Tell us about the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
Whether it's making your day to changing your life, we want to hear about chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.
Please share your story if you are of legal age, anonymously if you wish. Your responses are confidential, and are solely for the purpose of this feature.
