During the late 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, explaining 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, returning to the canteen that evening. The engineering student walked over 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 went to the meeting – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or nerve to approach someone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
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