During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was exploring 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 postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
From cheering you up to changing your life, we would love to know random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
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