In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Because my friend was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the UWS called International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student walked over to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Tell us about the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Shown for You?
From brightening your mood to transforming your future, we would love to know unexpected interactions that have left a lasting impression.
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