During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Since my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I consider applying for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but right away explained to my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I lacked the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual 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 Ever Done for You?
From cheering you up to transforming your future, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have left a lasting impression.
We invite you to tell us if you are an adult, without revealing your identity if you choose. The stories you tell are protected, and are intended for the aim of this article.
