In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The Iraqi student approached me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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 want to hear about chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
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