In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?
From cheering you up to changing your life, we want to hear about random meetings that have remained in your memory.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, anonymously if you prefer. The stories you tell are confidential, and are solely for the purpose of this feature.
