In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, sat down, and began chatting 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 explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
What is the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
Whether it's making your day to altering your path, we are interested in chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
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