In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Since my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I lacked the courage or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Shown for You?
Whether it's cheering you up to transforming your future, we want to hear about unexpected interactions that have left a lasting impression.
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