In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Since my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, 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, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Shown for You?
From making your day to transforming your future, we would love to know random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are 18 or over, keeping your details private if you choose. Your responses are protected, and are solely for the purpose of this feature.
