In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the UWS known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student came up to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
From cheering you up to transforming your future, we are interested in chance encounters that have stuck with you.
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