🔗 Share this article

In the late 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.

We arrived at the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.

Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.

He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.

The following day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The engineering student came up to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but straight off explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. 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 complete a graduate degree in global studies.

I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had always wanted 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 encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

Tell us about the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Ever Done for You?

Whether it's making your day to transforming your future, we would love to know random meetings that have remained in your memory.

Please share your story if you are of legal age, anonymously if you choose. What you share are protected, and are intended for the purpose of this feature.