During the late 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Because my companion was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Ever Done for You?
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