During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Because my friend was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
Whether it's cheering you up to changing your life, we are interested in random meetings that have remained in your memory.
We invite you to tell us if you are 18 or over, anonymously if you wish. The stories you tell are protected, and are intended for the purpose of this feature.
