In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I consider applying for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to altering your path, we would love to know unexpected interactions that have left a lasting impression.
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