In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Since my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a city where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a role in Europe where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person 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 cheering you up to changing your life, we would love to know random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
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