During the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Since my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the canteen, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the engineering department, 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 didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Tell us about the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Shown for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to changing your life, we would love to know random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
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