During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Because my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I consider applying for a role with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and request employment. And, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Tell us about the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Shown for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to changing your life, we are interested in random meetings that have stuck with you.
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