🔗 Share this article

In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there en route to London.

We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with other diners.

Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.

He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.

A day later I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that night. The engineering 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 made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.

I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.

I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.

What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a role in Europe where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.

What is the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?

Whether it's cheering you up to altering your path, we want to hear about chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.

Feel free to recount your experience if you are 18 or over, keeping your details private if you wish. Your responses are secure, and are intended for the goal of sharing inspiring stories.