During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Since my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. 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 Once Performed for You?
Whether it's making your day to changing your life, we are interested in random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, anonymously if you wish. What you share are protected, and are solely for the goal of sharing inspiring stories.
