During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Because my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student walked over to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a city where everything seems achievable – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?
Whether it's making your day to changing your life, we are interested in chance encounters that have stuck with you.
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