During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that gig at Columbia resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Tell us about the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to altering your path, we would love to know random meetings that have remained in your memory.
Please share your story if you are an adult, anonymously if you prefer. Your responses are confidential, and are solely for the purpose of this feature.
