In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Since my friend was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity 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 selfless gesture transformed my future in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that role at the university led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to altering your path, we want to hear about random meetings that have remained in your memory.
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