During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Because my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role 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 went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a place where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Ever Done for You?
From making your day to altering your path, we would love to know chance encounters that have stuck with you.
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