During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Since my friend was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she said: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
Whether it's cheering you up to altering your path, we would love to know chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.
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