In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the canteen, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I consider applying for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his full name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Shown for You?
Whether it's cheering you up to transforming your future, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have remained in your memory.
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