During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Since my companion was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked 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 set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
From cheering you up to changing your life, we would love to know random meetings that have remained in your memory.
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