In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Because my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we grabbed food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that job in New York resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Tell us about the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
From making your day to altering your path, we want to hear about chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, without revealing your identity if you choose. What you share are protected, and are intended for the aim of this article.
