During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Because my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab 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 role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?
From brightening your mood to changing your life, we want to hear about chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.
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