In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had planned a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The engineering student approached me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
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