🔗 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 travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.

We arrived at the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.

Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.

He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.

A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to 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 taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.

I was employed there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.

I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, 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 redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?

From brightening your mood to changing your life, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have left a lasting impression.

Feel free to recount your experience if you are 18 or over, anonymously if you choose. Your responses are secure, and are solely for the goal of sharing inspiring stories.