In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Since my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but right away informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” 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 also received free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
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