In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I explained that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi 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 taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising 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.
Tell us about the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to altering your path, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have remained in your memory.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are 18 or over, anonymously if you choose. The stories you tell are secure, and are solely for the aim of this article.
