In the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to reach out at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Tell us about the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
From making your day to altering your path, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have left a lasting impression.
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