During the late 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and let me know 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 attended the interview – but straight off explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
From brightening your mood to transforming your future, we would love to know random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, without revealing your identity if you choose. The stories you tell are confidential, and are solely for the aim of this article.
