🔗 Share this article

During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.

We arrived at the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the UWS known as International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.

Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.

He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I consider applying for a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.

The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.

I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.

We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.

Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

Tell us about 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.

Please share your story if you are of legal age, keeping your details private if you wish. What you share are confidential, and are intended for the goal of sharing inspiring stories.