During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Since my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the bravery or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
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