In the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Since my travel mate was interested in 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 large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – 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 was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that role at the university led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
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