During the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Because my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that role at the university paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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 want to hear about random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
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