In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my companion was considering enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The engineering student approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion 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 right away informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that role at the university led me to a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
From brightening your mood to changing your life, we would love to know unexpected interactions that have remained in your memory.
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