During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Since my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and began chatting with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student walked over to 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 went to the meeting – but straight off told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to altering your path, we are interested in random meetings that have remained in your memory.
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