During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Because my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a job 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 following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student approached me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Ever Done for You?
Whether it's making your day to changing your life, we want to hear about random meetings that have stuck with you.
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