🔗 Share this article

During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.

We reached the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.

Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.

He noted that there was an research lab at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.

The next day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but right away explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.

I held that position for three years. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.

I lost touch with him and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.

What's more, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person 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 cheering you up to altering your path, we want to hear about unexpected interactions that have remained in your memory.

We invite you to tell us if you are of legal age, anonymously if you wish. The stories you tell are confidential, and are solely for the goal of sharing inspiring stories.