The Compassion of Unknown Individuals: How a Person I Had Just Met Helped Me Land the Job That Changed My Life

In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my friend was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.

We got to the postgrad residence, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with people eating there.

Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.

He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.

The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.

I worked there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.

We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and request employment. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.

Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

What is the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?

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