During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Since my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
From cheering you up to altering your path, we would love to know chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are of legal age, keeping your details private if you prefer. The stories you tell are secure, and are solely for the aim of this article.
