In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Since my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.
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 working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and request employment. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
From cheering you up to altering your path, we want to hear about unexpected interactions that have stuck with you.
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