During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the university – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying for a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Ever Done for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to changing your life, we are interested in chance encounters that have stuck with you.
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