During the late 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Because my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, 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 inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted 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 consider applying for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately explained to my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a city where opportunities abound – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. 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 gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
What is the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
From brightening your mood to altering your path, we are interested in chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
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