During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an research lab at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student walked over to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
From cheering you up to altering your path, we are interested in chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are 18 or over, anonymously if you prefer. Your responses are protected, and are intended for the aim of this article.
