In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
Whether it's cheering you up to changing your life, we would love to know chance encounters 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 confidential, and are intended for the aim of this article.
