During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the canteen, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
Whether it's making your day to transforming your future, we want to hear about unexpected interactions that have remained in your memory.
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