In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. 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 big ten-floor structure on the UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Tell us about the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
From cheering you up to altering your path, we would love to know chance encounters that have stuck with you.
Please share your story if you are 18 or over, anonymously if you prefer. Your responses are confidential, and are solely for the purpose of this feature.
