In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Because my friend was considering pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student walked over to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – 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 metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
From making your day to altering your path, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have remained in your memory.
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