During the late 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Since my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my host that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a place where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Ever Done for You?
Whether it's making your day to altering your path, we would love to know random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
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