During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Because my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I consider applying for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student approached me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because 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 likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to transforming your future, we are interested in random meetings that have remained in your memory.
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