In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the UWS known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. 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 conducting research using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
From brightening your mood to changing your life, we are interested in random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
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