During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a role with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
From making your day to altering your path, we want to hear about random meetings that have stuck with you.
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